The "Truth-O-Meter" Vol. I, No. 1: This one takes the bottom of the gutter to new lows.

Truth-O-Meter: Vol. I, No. 1
"And the Truth shall set you free"

We thought we'd seen it all! But this one is too stupid not to print. And it just couldn't have been better timing. We were going to go with something else for Vol. I, No. 1, but it's got to come later. We actually had a hard time deciding whether to use this for the "Just to Weird, Even for Me" file, the "Stupid Humans" Award, or the "Truth-O-Meter". Clearly we opted for the T-O-M, this time, but we may have to actually re-post this in the other two categories because it is just soooooo deliciously amateurish that it deserves the distinctions.

So, fellow truth-seekers, sit back and take in Vol. I, No. 1 and all the sheer beauty that is living in the internet-friendly United States of America. (Hang on, you're going to love this...)

The Big Lie (Really, it's a big-big, twisted, and tortured Distortion of the Truth, but we need to stay with the format):

According to the nameless (and shameless) campaign:

"In December 2002, US News & World Report noted that while he was Chairman of Government Oversight & Reform Committee, Burton had a TV installed at his seat so he could watch golf tournaments during official hearings."

Their source: The "Washington Whispers Gossip Column". One sentence in a gossip column, that's their citation. See the whole thing here:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/articles/021223/23whisplead_2.htm

The Truth:

TV monitors were installed while Mr. Burton was Chairman of the Government reform and Oversight Committee, as they were in other Committee Rooms, so that Committee Chairs could monitor floor activities. The monitors were authorized by the House Committee on Administration and installed under the supervision of the Committee Broadcast Program Director.

The Facts:

Subsequently, the House Committee on Administration embarked on a complete redesign and standardization of this technology for the entire House Committee system, which is currently in progress. Under this program, every House Committee Hearing Room will have a new 3X5 inch monitor installed at the Committee Chair desk to allow the the Chairman to monitor floor proceedings, determine when votes are pending or occurring, and manage the proceedings of the Committee accordingly.

The Evidence (in other words, our legit sources):

Committee Broadcast Program Director
Government Oversight and Reform Committee Broadcast Technician

The Commentary:

I guessin' here, but it doesn't sound to me like the Golf Channel in HD is on the menu?

So, here we go again. Let's try to figure out why this nameless campaign would flounder around in obscurity using this kind of junk. Oh, I know, they're a nameless campaign that's floundering around in obscurity and nobody will take them seriously! When that happens, you surely must find something out there that you can distort, present as fact, and use (quite disingenuously, I might add) to make a case for what a lame and inept campaign you have. (Sounds like the definition of a circular firing squad to me.) I can't believe that any responsible op-researcher would have not checked facts before putting this dung out there. Especially when any dumpster-diver can easily check it out. These guys are giving the whole profession a bum rap!

Thankfully (for us bloggers, at least) they've got a 2-ton truckload more of these. We're going to run out of time before election day to post them all! But fear not! Our band of merry hacks and flacks will work our little fingers to the nub in an effort to bring you the naked truth. We may have to get some interns! Recruit some other bloggers! Whatever it takes. Gasp! We may even have to go legit! (Like that will ever happen ... no, forget that last one.)

Stay tuned hip-sters, there's a bunch more to come!